Are Cube bikes c**p?
Discussion
Partner bought a Cube Touring Pro two years ago new. It has done about 2,000 miles over 2 years. Every time she goes out in the wet she wipes it down dry and it is stored in a dry garage.
Despite always wiping the stanchions down when wet they are now badly rust pitted as per pics below, no doubt the fork seals will fail shortly. Also the brake calipers stick on one side so the brakes bind and squeel all the time. The brakes have been serviced many times to free up the pistons/calipers and the most recent time was just a few months ago when new pads were fitted. It's almost as if the calipers are disposable items to be replaced with the pads.
I haven't used a bike since I was a kid when they lasted forever (albeit the brakes were c**p) etc.
Am I being unrealistic to expect stanchions not to rust and calipers not to seize on such a new/low mileage bike? Or is this the norm? And are Cube bikes known for being c**p?
I'd appreciate your views if I am out of touch on modern bikes or if Cube are just duds. Thanks.
Despite always wiping the stanchions down when wet they are now badly rust pitted as per pics below, no doubt the fork seals will fail shortly. Also the brake calipers stick on one side so the brakes bind and squeel all the time. The brakes have been serviced many times to free up the pistons/calipers and the most recent time was just a few months ago when new pads were fitted. It's almost as if the calipers are disposable items to be replaced with the pads.
I haven't used a bike since I was a kid when they lasted forever (albeit the brakes were c**p) etc.
Am I being unrealistic to expect stanchions not to rust and calipers not to seize on such a new/low mileage bike? Or is this the norm? And are Cube bikes known for being c**p?
I'd appreciate your views if I am out of touch on modern bikes or if Cube are just duds. Thanks.
Cube make some very good bikes but like all manufacturers they also put together some lower end stuff. All a bike manufacturer really is is a company who design frames and either manufacture them themselves or have them manufactured in Taiwan etc. They then just bolt whatever components they want onto it from other manufacturers.
What you've got here is a lower end bike running lower end SR Suntour forks. Lower end forks like this use a steel stanchion that is then chrome plated and this is just what happens to chrome plated steel over time.
What you've got here is a lower end bike running lower end SR Suntour forks. Lower end forks like this use a steel stanchion that is then chrome plated and this is just what happens to chrome plated steel over time.
Chromed steel is completely the wrong material for fork stanchions and only used on cheap rubbish forks, that actually looks pretty decent for 2,000 miles to be honest.
Cube bikes are generally very good value for money, the bits they make, the frames are decent.
Those forks will be doing almost nothing other than adding weight, I would look at some decent rigid forks for the bike perhaps.
Cube bikes are generally very good value for money, the bits they make, the frames are decent.
Those forks will be doing almost nothing other than adding weight, I would look at some decent rigid forks for the bike perhaps.
You can tidy that up with some scrunched up tinfoil and vinegar. Works like magic on rusty chrome. It will still be pitted but will take off the rust and the sharper edges that will blow your fork seals at least
Then I'd probably just spray it with wd40 before putting it away after use.
Then I'd probably just spray it with wd40 before putting it away after use.
leyorkie said:
Recon that’s faulty forks.
I’ve had a Cube since 2019 had a lot of use out of it and nothing like that.
It has Rockshock forks.
Where is the bike kept? Is it damp.
Mines been kept outside under cover in the summer and either in the garage or stone built shed in winter.
The bike is kept in a very dry garage, and is dried before being put away if it is wet, particularly the stanchions, so they are only really wet when it's out in the rain plus whatever humidity is in the air at other times.I’ve had a Cube since 2019 had a lot of use out of it and nothing like that.
It has Rockshock forks.
Where is the bike kept? Is it damp.
Mines been kept outside under cover in the summer and either in the garage or stone built shed in winter.
Scarletpimpofnel said:
From the comments above it sounds like Cube at least on this bike use cheap / bad quality components. Regarding the other point I mentioned about sticking brake calipers (one piston on each caliper) is that also due to cheap components? as I said they have been serviced regularly.
Buy a cheap bike, get cheap components. If its a 2021 bike there's a chance it might have been stuck in a container for longer than usual due to the covid disruption. Or the supply problems and high demand led to some substandard processes and poorer quality parts entering the supply chain.
I've had Suntour forks before and they didn't rust, neither did any others I have known but they were made some time ago.
I've had Suntour forks before and they didn't rust, neither did any others I have known but they were made some time ago.
I've recently replaced a headset on a friends bottom of the range Trek Powerfly. It has Suntour forks. Undoing the stem, I expected the forks to drop out of the headtube. They didn't, I had to hammer them out with a rubber mallet. The steerer had corroded onto the stem spacers on a 1 year old bike.
Suntour retail products are low quality budget stuff. Cube will sell that bike with one frame & various levels of componentry, so you get what you pay for. Still, on a bike that young, I'd still talk to the dealer, see if there's any goodwill to be had.
Suntour retail products are low quality budget stuff. Cube will sell that bike with one frame & various levels of componentry, so you get what you pay for. Still, on a bike that young, I'd still talk to the dealer, see if there's any goodwill to be had.
I wouldn't even expect that on a cheap, cheap bike.
I'd suspect a manufacturering defect. Nothing fundamentally wrong with chromed steel, it'll last 20+ years outside and still look like new if done properly.
That looks like the chrome I've seen on aftermarket Mini stuff, lasts weeks before visible pitting.
I'd suspect a manufacturering defect. Nothing fundamentally wrong with chromed steel, it'll last 20+ years outside and still look like new if done properly.
That looks like the chrome I've seen on aftermarket Mini stuff, lasts weeks before visible pitting.
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